Accompanied by a loud "bang," the vase shattered, with so shards scattered onto the bedside, so onto the floor, and a few splattered onto the two of them, cutting Vanessa Sterling’s leg, with blood quickly seeping through.
"Knock, knock—"
After the knocking sound, the servant’s inquiring voice followed: "Miss, what happened?"
Before Vanessa could respond, Miles Sterling shouted toward the door, "No one is allowed to co in!"
Outside, the two servants looked at each other, knowing sothing had definitely happened inside, yet they didn’t dare enter recklessly due to Miles Sterling’s order.
After bathing and preparing to rest, Bianca Jennings heard the commotion outside, stepped out of her room, and saw the two aunties standing by Vanessa Sterling’s door, looking worried and troubled. Gently, she asked them, "What’s going on?"
"Dr. Jennings..."
"The young master and the miss are inside, we heard sothing shatter..."
Bianca Jennings frowned: "Then why haven’t you gone in to check?"
With that, Bianca Jennings reached for the door handle.
One of the servants hastily stopped her, saying, "Dr. Jennings, the young master said not to enter."
Bianca Jennings paused and said, "If you don’t go in, there’s bound to be a casualty."
Speaking simultaneously, she reached out and pushed open the door.
Inside the room, Miles Sterling was still hovering over Vanessa Sterling. Her clothes were in tatters, not to ntion the conspicuous bloodstains on her clothes.
"Having another episode?" Bianca Jennings walked over unhurriedly, asking casually.
Blood continued to drip from Miles Sterling’s forehead, covering his left eye to the extent he couldn’t open it normally. He turned his head and glared coldly at Bianca Jennings, speaking in an icy tone: "Get out."
Had it been soone else, they probably would have shuddered and complied out of fear.
Yet, Bianca Jennings rely smiled lightly, casually walking to the bedside and glancing at both of them, confirming that the blood on Vanessa should be Miles Sterling’s.
And since Miles Sterling could still shout like that, he probably wasn’t severely injured, so she didn’t rush to call a doctor. Instead, she stood at the bedside with her arms crossed, teasing, "Seems like it’s not an episode, but spring fever."
Furiously, Miles Sterling got off Vanessa, wiping the blood from his face with his hand haphazardly, then told Bianca Jennings: "Mind your own damn business!"
Bianca Jennings picked up the thin blanket beside the bed and covered Vanessa with it, then gently patted Vanessa’s head like comforting her, saying softly, "Go to my room first, be careful of the glass."
Vanessa sat on the bed without moving, her pure black eyes now tinged with a bloody hue, as if only a life-and-death struggle with Miles would bring satisfaction.
"Be good, listen, go over and wait for ."
Vanessa hesitated for a few seconds before wrapping the thin blanket tightly around her and getting off the bed.
Bianca Jennings signaled to the servant at the door, and one of the aunties quickly approached, placing slippers at Vanessa’s feet and helping her prepare to walk away.
Miles Sterling shouted displeased: "Stay! Did I permit you to leave?!"
The auntie paused, looking at Miles Sterling with a troubled expression, then glanced at Bianca Jennings.
Bianca Jennings nodded toward the door, signaling them to continue.
The auntie, with so reluctance, helped Vanessa out of the room.
After Bianca Jennings followed Vanessa to her room, she instructed the other auntie by the door to call a doctor, then closed the door.
"Could it be you can’t stand to see Vanessa’s condition improve? As soon as she gets a bit better, you won’t let her be?"
Miles asked Bianca instead: "What did you promise before? To make her forget the past? Has she forgotten?"
Bianca Jennings smirked faintly and said, "To make her forget, and then reenact everything you did to her for her to see again?"
Miles Sterling was suddenly stunned.
Bianca Jennings spoke very calmly: "Even if she forgot everything from the past, can you change? If not, she couldn’t love you in the past, and she still won’t in the future, so wouldn’t what I did be useless?"
Miles Sterling seed unable to calm down and process Bianca’s current remarks, stubbornly ordering Bianca: "I want her to forget that man! To ensure that man never appears in her mory again!"
Bianca Jennings softly countered: "And then?"
Miles Sterling hesitated, falling silent.
Bianca Jennings continued, "Would you love soone who restricts your every freedom, even your thoughts, and resorts to violence at the slightest disagreent?"
"Knock, knock—"
The door was knocked again, likely indicating the doctor’s arrival.
"True love involves mutual freedom and choice; understand this before asking to make Vanessa forget sothing." With these words, Bianca Jennings went to open the door.
The doctor stood at the doorway with a dical kit, glancing inside before softly asking Bianca, "What happened here?"
Bianca Jennings responded nonchalantly: "Oh, nothing much, just help him stop the bleeding and tend to his wound. Troublemakers live long; he won’t die."
Bianca returned to her own room, where a servant had already set out clean clothes for her.
"Were you hurt?" Bianca Jennings asked as she entered the room, closing the door behind her.
Vanessa shook her head, her eyes sowhat vacant, obviously lost in thought.
Bianca could tell Vanessa probably no longer yearned for freedom as strongly; perhaps her confidence in attaining it was waning, leading to diminished hope.
She harbored murderous intentions now, likely to seize any chance to eliminate Miles without hesitation.
Bianca filled a cup of water from the kettle on the table, handed it to Vanessa, sat beside her, and gently said, "Has he often behaved like this in the past?"
Vanessa didn’t answer, but her eyes gradually lost focus, seemingly recalling many similar situations.
Bianca inhaled deeply, then said with a light chuckle, "I actually admire you; you’re very strong. Living in such an environnt for so many years, others might have long crumbled."
Vanessa’s eyes grew moist, tears flowing as a smile lifted her lips, her voice raspy as she said, "Maybe it’s because I’ve never truly been free, that’s why I’ve held on this long."
That long-bound lifestyle had beco a subconscious habit for her.
Within such an environnt, she had found her own way to survive.
Obey, comply, do not contradict him, do not do anything to upset him; she needed to accept the life he provided.
She once considered such a life peaceful and well, as long as he didn’t lose his temper or resort to violence, she saw it as getting through the years happily.
Bianca Jennings, with a tone of promise, said to Vanessa, "Give a little more ti; it won’t be long. Even if you don’t trust him, I hope you can trust . Don’t do anything silly; his life isn’t worth as much as yours."
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